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WKU forensics team wins AFA district tournament

The WKU forensics team kicked off competition for the spring semester by traveling to Tuscaloosa, Ala., and St. Louis, Mo., to compete in three tournaments the weekend of Jan. 25-26.

At the American Forensic Association District-Six National Qualifying Tournament, hosted on the campus of the University of Alabama, WKU earned first place in team sweepstakes, qualifying 18 new events for the national tournaments in April. WKU topped a number of large schools to win top honors at the tournaments this weekend, including the University of Alabama, the University of Florida, Louisiana State University, Belmont University and Florida State University.

The tournament in St. Louis was hosted by Webster University. There, WKU’s team of 14 was crowned overall team sweepstakes champion for both individual events and debate and was recognized as the top Pi Kappa Delta School. PKD is an intercollegiate forensics honor society and is the oldest collegiate forensics organization in the history of the activity.

This semester, team members will travel to Texas, Missouri, Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and Paris, France, before wrapping up the semester at the national tournament hosted by Eastern Michigan University in April. The team will travel to Eastern Michigan University this weekend for the national tournament warm-up.

Results from the District-6 AFA Qualifier/”Black Warrior” Invitational are as follows:

Austin Groves, a junior from Blue Springs, Mo., tournament champion in dramatic interpretation, tournament champion in persuasive speaking and tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Taylor Holcombe) at the district tournament; tournament champion in prose interpretation and tournament champion in persuasive speaking at the Alabama tournament.

Taylor Holcombe, a freshman from Blue Springs, Mo., tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Austin Groves) and second in persuasive speaking at the district tournament; fourth in persuasive speaking at the Alabama tournament.

Jamaque Newberry, a junior from Tamarac, Fla., tournament champion in prose interpretation and second in after-dinner speaking at the district tournament.

Darius Wilson, a junior from Blue Springs, Mo., tournament champion in poetry interpretation and third in duo interpretation (with Tyler Rife) at the district tournament; third in poetry interpretation and third in duo interpretation (with Tyler Rife) at the Alabama tournament.

Tyler Rife, a senior from Dayton, Ohio, tournament champion in poetry interpretation and third in duo interpretation (with Darius Wilson) at the Alabama tournament; third in poetry interpretation and third in duo interpretation (with Darius Wilson) at the district tournament.

Kristina Medero, a junior from Davie, Fla., tournament champion in dramatic interpretation, fourth in duo interpretation (with Gabriella Devia-Allen) fourth in poetry interpretation and fifth in impromptu speaking at the Alabama tournament; fifth in impromptu speaking at the district tournament.

Carolyn Evans, a freshman from Urbandale, Iowa, tournament champion in after-dinner speaking and fifth in communication analysis at the Alabama tournament; fifth in communication analysis at the district tournament.

Ellis Fraser, a junior from Hodgenville, tournament champion in impromptu speaking and seventh in communication analysis at the Alabama tournament; third in after-dinner speaking, third in impromptu speaking, fourth in communication analysis and sixth in informative speaking at the district tournament.

Lataya Williams, a sophomore from Falcon Heights, Minn., tournament champion in programmed oral interpretation at the district tournament; tournament champion in programmed oral interpretation at the Alabama tournament.

Gabriella Devia-Allen, a senior from Davie, Fla., tournament champion in informative speaking at the district tournament; second in informative speaking and fourth in duo interpretation (with Kristina Medero) at the Alabama tournament.

Ashton Garber, a sophomore from Osprey, Fla., tournament champion in informative speaking and second in poetry interpretation at the Alabama tournament.

Jasmine Jones, a sophomore from Elizabethtown, tournament champion in communication analysis at the district tournament.

Janniqua Dawkins, a junior from Hollywood, Fla., second in informative speaking at the district tournament; third in persuasive speaking at the Alabama tournament.

Ray Roberts, a junior from Houston, Texas, second in prose interpretation at the Alabama tournament; third in prose interpretation at the district tournament.

John Reynolds, a junior from Harlingen, Texas, second in dramatic interpretation and second in after-dinner speaking at the Alabama tournament; fifth in after-dinner speaking and fifth in prose interpretation at the district tournament.

Brittany Broder, a sophomore from St. Charles, Mo., second in extemporaneous speaking at the Alabama tournament; sixth in extemporaneous speaking at the district tournament.

Richard Heyne, a senior from Sunrise, Fla., third in informative speaking at the district tournament; fifth in informative speaking at the Alabama tournament.

Justin Rodriguez, a senior from Coos Bay, Ore., fifth in persuasive speaking at the Alabama tournament; sixth in persuasive speaking at the district tournament.

Ian Dowty, a junior from Valley Center, Kan., fifth in after-dinner speaking at the Alabama tournament.

Results from the Webster University “Gorlok Gala” are as follows:

Spencer Orlowski, a senior from Davie, Fla., tournament champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate and top debate speaker.

Lindsey White, a senior from St. Paul, Minn., tournament champion in poetry interpretation, fourth in prose interpretation and excellence award in informative speaking.